Violin bow attachment



Jan. 21, 1958 P. ROLLAND 2,820,388

VIOLIN BOW ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 21, 1958 P, LLAND 2,820,388

VIOLIN BOW ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-SheetZ United States Patent VIOLIN BOW ATTACHMENT Paul Rolland, Urbana, Ill.

Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,859

1 Claim. (Cl. 84-282) This invention relates to an attachment for bows used in playing stringed musical instruments.

One of the most difiicult of the tasks confronting a person learning to play a violin, viola, cello or bass viol, is the manipulation of the bow. The bow,.as traditionally and universally constructed feels insecure when held in the proper position and seems, to a beginner at least, to be practically unmanageable.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an attachment which may easily be mounted on a bow, and which, when so mounted, greatly simplifies the proper grasping of the bow and its manipulation.

Another object of this invention is to make such an attachment which is cheap and easy to manufacture, and which may be made up of one or more separate units.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description and accompanying drawing.

In accordance with this invention, generally stated, an attachment for bows of musical instruments is provided which includes a thumb grip which preferably takes the form of a sleeve, embracing the stick and that part of the forward end of the frog which defines the upper bow-engaging leg of the U-shaped notch in the frog, and providing a thumb-receiving arch.

The attachment also includes a saddle, made of rubber, frictional-surfaced plastic, or other .slip inhibiting material, which covers the top of the stick along the frog of the bow. The saddle may embrace the stick and frog and may be constructed with a concave platform extending along and beyond the side of the frog upon which the second and third fingers of a cello or bass viol player rest. In any embodiment, the saddle offers a slip-resistant grip for the fingers that support the bow. It may be provided with a rise at its end adjacent the screw at the rearward end of the bow, to guide and give increased force to the little finger.

The complete attachment also includes a first finger rest which may take the form of a hump in the upper surface of the saddle forward of the thumb notch in the frog.

The three parts of the attachment are preferably made integral, but any one or more of them may be made separately and used either in combination with another part or alone.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in side elevation :of a complete, unitary bow attachment constructed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of this invention;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of a plain saddle part constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention, mounted on a bow;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the saddle shown in Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of a saddle constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the saddle shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a view in perspective of the saddle shown in Figures 5 through 7, showing the concave platform side of the saddle;

Figure 9 is a view in side elevation of still another embodiment of saddle part, with a little finger rise;

Figure 10 is a view in side elevation of a first finger rest part constructed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of this invention, mounted on a bow;

Figure 11 is a view in side elevation of a thumb grip part constructed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of this invention, mounted on a bow;

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along the line fi2-l2 of Figure ll; and

Figure 13 is a view in side elevation of another embodiment of unitary bow attachment.

Referring now to the drawing, reference numeral 1 indicates a bow upon which the attachment of this invention is mounted. The now 1 is of conventional design, with a stick 2, hair 3, screw 4, and frog or nut 5. The frog 5 has in its forward edge a U-shaped notch 6,

efined by an upper, bow engaging leg 7 and a lower, hair-carrying leg 8. As in all such hows, the turning of the screw 4 in one direction acts to move the nut 5 rearwardly, toward the screw end, to tighten the hair 3;

while turning the screw 4 in the opposite direction al-' lows the out 5 to move forwardly to loosen the hair 3.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in Figure 1, a bow attachment 16 is made in one piece preferably molded from soft rubber. it may however, be made of plastic, the surface of which is frictional (in contradistinction to slick) or which is grooved, knurled, or otherwise roughened, or of any other suitable material which provides a slip-inhibiting but not sticky surface. in this embodiment, the attachment includes a saddle part 12, a first finger rest 15, and a thumb grip 2d. The saddle part 12 is mounted on and along the upper side of the stick, through a sufficient distance to accommodate the fingers of a player. The saddie 12 is provided at its rear-most end with a little finger rise 24 upon which the little finger of a player bears.

At the forward end of the saddle part 12 is the first finger rest 16 which takes the form of a hump in the upper surface of the saddle. The first finger rest 16 is positioned well forward of the frog 5 in proper position to provide a guide for and a means for increasing the effective pressure of the first finger on the bow.

A short distance rearwardly of the first finger rest 16, beneath the stick 2, is the thumb guide 20. The thumb guide 20 takes the form of a thumb-receiving arch 22 defined at its rearward end by a buttress 2d and at its forward end by a dip 26. The buttress 24 is provided in its rear surface with a pocket 23, to accommodate the upper leg 7 of the frog 5.

Between the rear edge of the thumb grip 20 and the forward end .of the attachment, the attachment 10 is made in the form of a tube.

In the embodiment shown in Figure l, the underside of the saddle 12 between its rearmost end and the rearmost end of the thumb grip 26 may be made adherent to the stick, as for example by applying to it a pressure sensitive adhesive. The tube between the rearrnost end of the thumb grip 20 and the forward end of the attachment may be made of such internal diameter as to ensure secure gripping of the stick by the tube.

Since the attachment is preferably made of soft rubber or the like 3 material, the slip resistance desired in the finger engaging parts of the attachment serves also to hold the attachment firmly in place on the bow stick.

t The embodiment of unitary attachment shown in Figure 13 is substantially identical with the attachment shown in Figure 1 except that the first finger rest and the little finger rise have been omitted. The first and little fingers will derive some benefit from the slip inhibiting surface of the saddle, but their leverage will not be increased as effectively as it would if the first finger rest 16 and little finger rise 14 werepresent. 011 the other hand, the attachment shown in Figure 13 is simple to make, presents a streamlined appearance, and remains positioned securely.

In Figures 2 through 4, an embodiment of saddle is shown which may be used in combination with other elements of the attachment or alone. The saddle of Figures 2 through 4 is hairpin shaped in end elevation as shown in Figures 3 and 4, with legs 41 connected by a web 42. The legs 41 of the saddle are sufiiciently close together so that the legs grip the frog when the saddle is mounted as shown in Figures 2 and 3. When frictional engagement is relied upon to hold the saddle in place, the saddle must be made of a material which is sufiiciently resilient to permit the springing out of the legs, and at the same time must be of sufficient rigidity firmly to grasp the frog between the legs 41. Alternatively, the inside surface of the legs 41 below the web 42 may be provided with an adherent surface such as a pressure sensitive adhesive, or the web 42 above the legs 41 may be similarly treated. However, in either case in which the saddle is more or less permanently adhered to a part of the bow, either the legs 41 or the web 42 must be free to slide, since the frog must be moved back and forth relative to the stick to tighten and loosen the hair in the bow.

As can be seen, the saddle of Figures 2 through 4 serves to provide a slip inhibiting surface for the second, third, and little fingers.

In Figure 5 through 8 an embodiment of saddle part is shown in which a concave platform extends along the side of the frog upon which a cello or bass viol players fingers bear. The saddle part of this embodiment has a leg 31 similar to the legs 41 of the embodiment shown in Figures 2 through 4, and a similar web 32. A second leg 33 of the saddle part is plane on its inside surface, but is contoured on its outside surface to form the platform 30.

The platform 30 is concave, with a thick forward section 34, a thick rearward section 35 and a relatively thin central section 36. A narrow shelf or shoulder 37 runs along the top of the platform immediately below the junction of the web 32 with the leg 33. An outwardly and downwardly extending ledge 38 define the lowermost edge of the platform. The ledge 38 extends below the level of the frog as shown particularly in Fig. 7.

As has been implied, this embodiment of saddle has particular application to cello and bass viol bows, where the fingers of the player must not only serve to guide the how but must actually support the weight of the bow to prevent its falling off the strings of the instrument. The second and third fingers are supported and provided with increased leverage by the platform.

In Figure 9 is shown another embodiment of saddle part in which a saddle 48, of the character of the saddle 40 shown in Figures 2 through 4 is provided with a little finger rise 49 at the rearmost end of the upper surface of the saddle.

A first finger rest 50 is shown in Figure 10. Like the saddles of Figures 2 through 9, the first finger rest 50 may be used in combination with other elements of the attachment or may be used separately. Tht first finger rest 50 in the embodiment shown in Figure 10, consists of a-tube of .an internal diameter snugly to admit the stick 2 and a length to extend from the forward end of full advantage of the attachment is not realizedunless 1 Figures 11 and 12 illustrate a thumb grip 60 which may be used either in combination with other elements of the attachment or singly. The thumb grip 60 takes the form of a sleeve with an inside diameter such as snugly to admit the stick 2. The sleeve 60 extends well below the stick 2 and is provided witha thumb receiving arch 62 defined at its rearmost end by a buttress 64 and at its forward end by a clip 66. The buttress 64 is hollow, being provided with a pocket 68 so shaped as to admit the upper leg 7 of the frog 5. In this way, the thumb receiving arch 62 is positioned immediately forward of the forward end of the frog 5.

In mounting the unitary attachment as shown in Figures l and 13, it is only necessary to remove the screw 4, which allows the frog 5 to be separated from the stick. The screw end of the stick is placed in the forward open end of the tube and the attachment is slid into place on the stick. The frog 5 is then replaced, the leg 7 being inserted within the pocket 28 of the buttress 24, and the screw 4 is replaced.

The attachment 10 may then be given a final adjustment, and if the underside of the saddle 12 is adapted to be adhered to the stick, that is done.

The provision of the pocket 28 ensures proper positioning of the thumb grip both lengthwise of the bow and angularly.

The attachment of this invention gives to the bow a natural feeling, permitting a beginner to manipulate it with far less effort, and guiding his hand into a proper playing position.

The saddle of Fimu'es 2 through 4 provides a slip inhibiting surface for the second, third and little fingers.

The saddle of Figures 5 through 8 provides a guide for the second and third fingers. While in the embodiment shown, the saddle provides a slip inhibiting surface for the second and third fingers and also the little finger, the provision of the platform for cello and bass viol bows is of advantage even if the platform is not made of slip inhibiting material. The platform may even be made integral with the frog.

The embodiment of saddle shown in Figure 9 not only provides a slip inhibiting surface for the second, third, and little fingers, but provides a guide for and means of increasing the force of the little finger.

The first finger rest of Figure 10 provides a guide for and means of increasing the force of the first finger.

The thumb grip of Figures 11 and 12 provides a natural feeling, uncramped resting place for the thumb, and permits better control of the bow.

The thumb grip of this invention, either alone or in combination with other parts of the attachment, is very important. The forward dip is relatively small, so that the thumb is not wedged in behind it in a cramped position. The arch may be made somewhat assymetrical with respect to the long axis of the bow, being cut away, i. 6.,

extending closer to the bow stick, on the side of the center line next to the thumb. The construction of the thumb grip permits the bow stick to change its angular relation to the hand during bowing, to enable the player to draw a straight bow, and permits it to be rolled between the thumb and fingers, in order to vary the cant of the bow on the strings.

The thumb grip may be made of a harder and smoother material than the saddle part, because a slip inhibiting surface is not so essential to the thumb grip.

While each of the elements of the attachment performs a definite function and is valuable in its own right, the

the elements are used in combination, since the attachment as a whole is so designed that the elements complement and cooperate with one another to produce a balanced and highly effective device.

In particular, when the thumb is positioned by the thumb grip, the little finger rise and the first finger rest counterbalance one another, permitting the pressure on the bow to be varied from that desired in an extreme sforzando or fortissimo to that desired in an extreme pianissimo, while at the same time providing the freedom and balance required for example, for the spiccato or saltando bow. The provision of the thumb grip in combination with the first finger rest or little finger rise or the saddles slip-inhibiting surface alone, is still a great improvement over the unequipped bow, because the thumb grip provides better control and balance with respect to the thumb and any of the first finger rest, little finger rise or the slip inhibiting surface permits a more positive force to be applied with the fingers which control the bow by using the thumb as a pivot.

Numerous variations in the construction of the attachment of this invention within the scope of the accompanying claim will occur to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure.

Thus it can be seen that a bow attachment is provided which not only guides the hand into proper playing position but facilitates manipulation of the bow and affirmatively improves the tone and efiects which may be obtained, by increasing the effective leverage of the fingers with respect to the thumb; which is suificiently light in weight so that its effect on the balance of the bow is negligible; which is attractive in appearance; and which is cheap and simple to manufacture, and easy to install.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A hand positioning device for a stringed instrument bow comprising an elongated tubular portion, a buttress extending laterally from said tubular portion, and a U- shaped portion extending from said buttress in alignment with said tubular portion, whereby the stick of a bow may be inserted through said tubular and U-shaped portions to provide finger engaging portions which will properly position the players hand with respect to said bow.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 248,467 Hunt Oct. 18, 1881 384,045 Latchmore June 5, 1888 1,435,926 Johnson Nov. 21, 1922 1,763,660 Knopp June 17, 1930 1,897,225 Archer Feb. 14, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,769 Great Britain July 18, 1912 591,484 France Apr. 10, 1925 640,321 France Mar. 26, 1928 28,772 Holland Jan. 16, 1933 656,659 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1951 

